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| Hon Azi, the impeached speaker of the Plateau House of Assembly |
IMPEACHMENT OF PLATEAU ASSEMBLY SPEAKER: KUDOS TRAIL MEMBERS’ DECISION
By Udante
Ugante
July 11, 2018
The impeachment of Hon. Peter Azi of the All Progressive Congress (APC) as speaker of
the Plateau state House of Assembly on Wednesday is described as a positive development towards enhancing the independent of the House and for deepening of democracy as well as ensuring it’s dividends.
The legislative arm of government acts as a check
against the Executive arm and has the power to conduct investigation on issues of public interest and even saddled with the responsibility of removing the head of the
executive by impeachment.
The Plateau state
House of Assembly under the
leadership of Hon. Azi, its former speaker is said to have fallen short of its responsibility as
it was said to be unabled to recognize and exercise
its constitutional roles effectively which is said to have led to its
relegation to a mere government department.
All those who spoke to African Drum believed the impeachment of Hon Azi was long overdue noting that the former speaker was a puppet of Governor Simon Bako Lalong and
almost turned the house into an annex of the executive arm.
According to Henry Bawa
Goji, a grassroots politician and resident of
Unguwan Alheri Jos, “Peter Azi was a monumental disasters as speaker. It has never been this bad in Plateau state. I can’t
really fathom why he became the choice of members for
speakership in the first place.
“To me, he was unfit for that position; it is the reason why the house under his leadership was dormant and
ineffective. We never had a dull house as the one under the leadership of the former speaker. So his impeachment is a welcome development.
“Now that there
is a new speaker at the helm of
affairs, I will advice that he sits up and to the needful taking into cognizance that the legislature is an independent arm which main function is checks and balances of the
executive arm".
In his submission, Makwin Daniel, a resident of Hwolshe, Jos south LGA said the job of a speaker is for an agile, creative and competent person. “A person that is exposed, vibrant and knowledgeable. All these
qualities are lacking in Peter
Azi I must tell you. So, I don’t know how the idea of bringing him to be the speaker started. The
man was incapable and his impeachment is long overdue. I am made to understand
that the new speaker is a lawyer. I believe we would begin to see positive changes in
the house. I wish him good luck” he said.
Also speaking on the issue, Linda Okeke,
a political activist in Jenta Apata Jos North LGA said that the speakership
of any House of
Assembly is for those with sound intellectual capacity because according to her, the legislative stands as
the whole mark of
democracy because it is the only organ that distinguishes democracy from other
forms of government. “I was highly surprise when I
heard that Peter Azi emerged the speaker of the house. I kept asking myself; why would such a thing happen in a state like Plateau with its cream of intellectuals. The man further proved
critics right when he
turned an errand boy to
the governor”, she said.
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| Main entrance to the Plateau state House of Assembly |
Hon. George Deika, the Plateau state PDP gubernatorial aspirant also believed it is a good development noting
that members have the
right to choose who will lead them stressing that such a person must be firm
and decisive and not a person that can easily
be twisted.
In like manner, Hon. Amos
Gombi, the Deputy Chairman
of the PDP Plateau
state chapter said the impeachment of Hon. Azi is a normal procedure. Gombi, himself a former member of
the House of Assembly added that the development was good for democracy which he also believed was long
overdue further called on all the members
to give their maximum support to the new speaker for the sake
of democracy and to enhance the issuance of dividends of democracy to the people.
Hon Amos Gizo an APC stalwart also said the impeachment was a normal
legislative procedure stressing that when legislators are disenchanted with their speaker, impeachment
becomes an imperative.
Hon Peter Azi and Hon Henry Yunkwak, the House Majority
Leader were impeached on Wednesday after members passed vote of no confidence on them. A motion to
impeach them was moved by Peter Gyendeng of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP representing Barkin Ladi
Constituency and endorsed by over 2/3 of the Member. Barrister Joshua Madaki of the APC representing Jos East
Constituency was elected as the new Speaker while Na’anlong Daniel of the same
Party representing Mikang Constituency is the new Majority Leader.
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